Device for storage and dispensation of measured quantities of pasty materials and process for its embodiment

ABSTRACT

A device for storage and dispensation of measured quantities of pasty material. The device is formed from two juxtaposed formable sheets including, respectively, a compartment forming a volume housing the measured quantity and a passage forming a duct for ejection of the measured quantity, as well as deformable membrane constituting a sealing mechanism which separates the compartment from the passage. The invention is applicable to packaging and dispensation of measured quantities of a pasty material.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention concerns a device for storage and dispensation ofmeasured quantities of a pasty material, as well as the process formanufacture of a device of this kind.

BACKGROUND ART

In the sphere of packaging of measured quantities of materials, inparticular unitary measured quantities, conventional practice calls forpackaging the liquid or pasty substances in small cushions which can becut or torn in order to allow access to the liquid or pasty material.Patent No. EP-A-0 178 918 describes a form of tearable packaging forliquid or pasty substance which results from the development of thistype of packaging. As regards packaging of individual solid objects, inparticular drug packaging, the packaging is conventionally producedusing a sheet of formable material comprising compartments in which theobjects to be packaged are placed, and the compartments are sealed byattaching the surface of the formable sheet which extends away form thecompartments to a sheet of material, which, since it has a lesserresistance than the formable sheet, can be torn by crushing saidcompartment and exerting pressure on the object contained therein.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to provide packaging formeasured quantities of a pasty material, this packaging being similar,as regards its application, to the conventional packagings describedabove for individual solid objects.

This goal is achieved by supplying a device for storage and dispensationof measured quantities of a pasty substance, which comprises a volumehousing the measured quantity of said substance and means for sealingthis volume, which can be opened to allow the ejection of the measuredquantity of the material, this device comprising two formable,juxtaposed sheets, one of which incorporates a first deformationextending away from the surface at which the two sheets are joined,existing as a compartment creating the volume which houses the measuredquantity of pasty material, device in which the other sheet incorporatesa second deformation existing as a channel which forms a duct for theejection of the measured quantity of pasty substance, this ejectionduct, which is open at one of its ends, opening opposite the compartmentat its other end, and in which a deformable membrane constituting a sealseparates the compartment from the duct, the two sheets ensuringposition-retention of the membrane being attached in at least theperipheral area of the compartment.

By virtue of an additional invention feature, the surface at which thetwo sheets of formable material are joined lies in one plane, and thedeformable membrane is a flat membrane lying in this same plane.

By virtue of another special feature of the invention, the deformablemembrane is an extensible film which, when subjected to the pressureexerted on the pasty material when the compartment is crushed, can bedeformed in order to allow the pasty substance to be engaged in theejection duct.

According to another special feature of the invention, the flatdeformable membrane is a pre-cut film whose weakened area lies in thearea of the duct and is designed to be torn when subjected to thepressure exerted on the pasty material when the compartment is crushed,in order to allow the pasty material to enter the ejection duct.

According to a further feature, the two formable sheets and the membraneare attached in at least the peripheral areas of the compartment and ofthe duct, which correspond, in the two formable sheets, to non-deformedareas.

By virtue of still another invention feature, the deformable membrane,whose edges, taken in the longitudinal direction of the duct, lie inimmediate proximity to the peripheral area of the compartment, does notcontribute to formation of the seal between the sheets of formablematerial, and is, in consequence, designed to slide between these sheetswhen subjected to the pressure exerted on the pasty material when thecompartment is crushed, thereby taking on the shape of the duct, saidmembrane being attached, by the end opposite the duct, to at least thesheet in which the channel is created, so as to prevent it from beingcarried away by the pasty material.

By virtue of another invention feature, the membrane is additionallyattached, in the area of the duct and using a light adhesive, to thesheet in which the compartment is formed, so as to form, at this spot, aconnection which can easily be broken.

The invention is further intended to provide a process for production ofa device for storage and dispensation of measured quantities of a pastymaterial, characterized by the fact that this process consists informing compartments in a first sheet of formable material and, in acorresponding manner, ducts in a second sheet of formable material; infilling the compartments with measured quantities of a pasty material;in placing a deformable membrane at least partially over thecompartments; in juxtaposing, by their surfaces extending away from thedeformations, the first and second sheets of formable material, in sucha way that the ducts are positioned, in conjuction with thecompartments, so as to create passages leading to said compartments atthe place of the deformable membrane; and in attaching the two sheets offormable material in at least the peripheral area of each compartment.

According to another invention feature, this process comprises thefollowing steps:

heat-forming compartments and passages, respectively, in thelongitudinal direction of the two halves of a sheet made of acontinuously-fed thermoformable material;

filling, in a continuous operation, the compartments with measuredquantities of a pasty material;

covering, in a continuous operation, the compartments with a film ofdeformable material;

folding, in a continuous operation, the half of the sheet incorporatingthe passages over the half of the sheet comprising the compartments soas to form ducts which are sealed by the film of deformable material atthe points where they open into the compartments;

fusing, in a continuous operation, the two superposed halves of thethermoformable sheet to each other and with the sheet of deformablematerial, in at least the peripheral areas of the compartments andducts; and

cutting out, in a continuous operation, the product obtained, so as toform sets of measured quantities and, where necessary, freeing the endsof the ducts remote from the compartments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood by referring to the descriptionprovided below and to the attached drawings which illustrate, solely asexamples, various embodiments of the invention and in which:

FIG. 1 is a raised cross-section of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a raised cross-section of another embodiment of the deviceaccording to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are plane views of two embodiments of packages whichimplement the device according to the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a plane view of one step in the process for manufacture of adevice according to the invention.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In accordance with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the deviceaccording to the invention is created from two formable sheets 1, 2 anda membrane 7. The formable sheet 1 comprises a compartment-shapeddeformation 3 designed to house a measured quantity of a pasty material4, while the formable sheet 2 comprises a duct-shaped deformation 5.Sheets 1 and 2 are juxtaposed in such a way that their respectivedeformations 3 and 5 extend away from the surface 8 at which the twosheets are joined, and so that the passage 5, which forms, in conjuctionwith the sheet 1, an ejection duct 6 open at one of its ends 6', ends,at its other extremity 6" opposite the compartment 3. The membrane 7,positioned along the surface 8 joining sheets 1 and 2, separates thecompartment 3 containing the measured quantity of pasty material 4 andthe duct 6 opening to the outside. The membrane 7 is held in place alongthe junction surface 8 by sheets 1 and 2, which are, for example, bondedor fused together, the membrane 7 forming a component of this assembly,which must be created in at least the peripheral area of thecompartment.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 corresponds appreciably tothe embodiment in FIG. 1, the sheets 21, 22, the compartment 23, themeasured quantity of material 24, the passage 25, and the duct 26corresponding substantially and respectively to the sheets 1, 2, thecompartment 3, the measured quantity of material 4, the passage 5, andthe duct 6 in FIG. 1. The difference lies in the membrane 27, which, incontradistinction to the membrane 7, extends over only one part of thecompartment 23. As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3, the membrane 27is limited not only longitudinally (i.e., in the longitudinal directionof the duct 26) in relation to the compartment 23, but alsotransversely. Accordingly, either the membrane 27 forms a component inthe assembly of sheets 21 and 22, or it remains unattached between theassembled sheets 21 and 22, an arrangement in which these sheets ensureonly that the membrane 27 is held in place. According to the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2, the membrane 27 is bonded to sheet 21 at point29, i.e., in the area of the duct 26. This bonding is achieved using alight adhesive which can easily be broken. This bonding arrangement 29is recommended mainly when the membrane 27 does not form part of theattachment between the sheets 21 and 22.

The deformable membrane 7 or 27 is either an extensible or a tearablemembrane, if it contributes to the creation of a joint between sheets 1and 2 or 21 and 22, respectively, i.e., if it is bonded or fused withsaid sheets; or, yet again, a membrane which is merely deformable, whenit does not contribute to formation of the joint between the sheets 21and 22, i.e., when the connection formed by bonding/fusing of saidsheets in the peripheral area of the compartment bypasses said membrane.

During storage, the membrane 7, 27, which is secured in place againstthe measured quantity 4, 24 of pasty material when the packaging isformed, is held in that position, first, by means of the retentionaction exerted by the sheets 1, 2; 21, 22, and second, in the area ofthe duct by means of atmospheric pressure, potentially reinforced by theaction of the bonding arrangement 29.

During use, crushing the compartment 3, 23 generates, by means of themeasured quantity of pasty material 4, 24, pressure on the membrane 7,27. When the membrane forms a component of the assembly of the sheets 1,2, 21, 22, the membrane 7, 27 is deformed either by stretching, until itadopts substantially the shape of the duct, or by tearing, if themembrane is, for example, a pre-cut film whose weakened area lies in thearea of the duct 6, 26. When the membrane 27 does not form part of theassembly of the sheets 21, 22, i.e., when, as described above, thebonding or fusing area does not incorporate the membrane 27, thedeformation will entail, after rupture of the bonding attachment 29,slippage of the sheet until it takes on the shape of the duct 26. Inthis last case, the membrane is also attached, for example by adhesivebonding, by its end opposite to the duct 26, in order to avoid beingcarried outside the compartment 23 by the pasty material 24.

Solely as an example and in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention, the formable sheets 1, 2, 21, 22 are made of a 150-micronthermoformed film, while the deformable membrane is a extensible10-micron polyethylene film capable of being stretched up to 600%.

In FIG. 4, rectangular-shaped packaging 40 comprises two rows ofcompartments 43, each compartment 43 being connected to the outside ofthe packaging by means of a duct 46, while a membrane 47 covers the tworows of compartments 43 in such a way that it is interposed between saidcompartments and the ends of the ducts 46 which open into them. Asregards a single compartment, this embodiment is, therefore, similar tothat illustrated in FIG. 1.

According to the embodiment in FIG. 5, circular packaging 50 comprises aseries of compartments 53 arranged radially, each compartment beingconnected by a duct 56, also radial, to the outside of the packaging,and an annular membrane 57 is interposed between the ends of thecompartments 53 extending toward the ducts 56 and the ducts themselves.This embodiment corresponds substantially to the embodiment illustratedin cross-section in FIG. 2.

The invention further concerns the process for manufacture of a devicesuch as that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5. This process consists, ingeneral, of the following steps: forming compartments 3, 23 in a sheetof formable material 1, 21 and, correspondingly, producing ducts 5, 25in a second sheet of formable material 2, 22; filling the compartments3, 23 with measured quantities 4, 24 of a pasty material; arranging adeformable membrane 7, 27 at least partially on the compartments 3, 23;juxtaposing, by means of their surface extending away from thedeformation, the first and second sheets of deformable material in sucha way that the passages 5, 25 are positioned in relation to thecompartments 3, 23 so as to form ducts 6, 26 which open, at one end,into the compartments at the place of the deformable membrane 7, 27,and, at the other, into the open air, the membrane 7, 27 being held inplace between the sheets of formable material 1, 2, 21, 22; and inattaching the sheets of formable material, in at least the peripheralarea of each compartment.

According to a preferred embodiment, of which one step is illustrated inFIG. 6, the process according to the invention entails heat-formingcompartments 63 and passages 65 in the two halves 61, 62, takenlongitudinally, of a sheet 60 made of a continuously-fed thermoformablematerial; filling, in a continuous operation, the compartments 63 withmeasured quantities 64 of a pasty material; covering, in a contiuousoperation, the compartments with a film 67 of a deformable material(step illustrated in FIG. 6); folding over, in a continuous operation,the half 62 of the sheet 60 containing the passages 65 over the half ofthe sheet 60 containing the compartments 63 in order to form ducts,which are sealed by the film of deformable material 67 at the pointwhere they terminate in the compartments 63; fusing, in a continuousoperation, the superposed two halves 61, 62 of the thermoformable sheet60, both together and with the film 67 of deformable material in all ofthe areas located to the outside of the compartments 63 and passages 65;trimming, in a continuous operation, the edge of the product obtainedcorresponding to the fold line 70, in the area between the dotted lines71, 71', so as to clear the ends of the passages 65 remote from thecompartments 63; and finally, cutting the continuously-formed product inorder to produce packages such as that 40 illustrated in FIG. 4.

In the various embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the connectionsurface 8, 28 between the formable sheets 1,2 and 21, 22, respectively,has been illustrated as being flat; it is obvious that this arrangementwill constitute the invention embodiment most frequently used. However,it will be understood that this connection surface may exist as aleft-handed surface, in which case the formable sheets 1, 2, 21, 22 willhave matching shapes, or that the specific shape of the assembly will beimparted during a shaping operation performed in conjunction with thefusing operation joining the sheets to each other and to the deformablemembrane.

I claim:
 1. Device for storage and dispensation of measured quantitiesof a pasty material, including a housing for the measured quantity ofthe material and a mechanism for sealing the housing, which is openablefor each action of the measured quantity of material, wherein the devicecomprises:first and second juxtaposed formable sheets having first andsecond deformations, respectively, extending away from a connectionsurface joining the first and second sheets wherein the firstdeformation comprises a compartment forming a volume which houses themeasured quantity of the pasty material, and the second deformation inthe second sheet comprises a duct for the ejection of the measuredquantity of pasty material, wherein the ejection duct is continuouslyopened at one end thereof and terminates at another end thereof at aposition next to the compartment; and said sealing mechanism includes adeformable membrane which separates the compartment from the ductwherein the first and second formable sheets are assembled in at leastthe peripheral area of the compartment for holding the membrane inplace.
 2. Device for storage and dispensation of measured quantities ofa pasty material according to claim 1, wherein the connection surface ofthe two sheets lies in one plane, and wherein the deformable membrane isa flat membrane lying in said plane.
 3. Device for storage anddispensation of measured quantities of a pasty material according toclaim 2, wherein the deformable membrane comprises an extensible filmwhich is, when subjected to the pressure exerted on the pasty materialby crushing the compartment, deformable so as to allow the pastymaterial to flow into the ejection duct.
 4. Device for storage anddispensation of measured quantities of a pasty material according toclaim 2, wherein the flat deformable comprises a pre-cut film having aweakened area located in the area of the duct which is torn whensubjected to the pressure exerted on the pasty material by crushing thecompartment, in order to allow the pasty material to flow into theejection duct.
 5. Device for storage and dispensation of measuredquantities of a pasty material according to claim 3, wherein thedeformable membrane has edges, taken in the longitudinal direction ofthe duct, which are located in immediate proximity to a peripheral areaof the compartment, do not form part of the connection between thesheets of formable material and are slidable between said sheets whensubjected to pressure exerted on the pasty material when the compartmentis crushed, thereby assuming the shape of the duct, said membrane beingattached, at an end thereof opposite the duct, to at least the sheet inwhich the passage is formed, so as to avoid being carried away by thepasty material.
 6. Device for storage and dispensation of measuredquantities of a pasty material according to claim 1, wherein the firstand second formable sheets and the membrane are assembled together in atleast the peripheral areas of the compartment and the duct and whereinthe peripheral areas comprise non-deformed areas.
 7. Device for storageand dispensation of measured quantities of a pasty material according toclaims 3 or 4, wherein the membrane is attached in the area of the ductto the sheet in which the compartment is formed by an adhesive so as toform a point of attachment which is breakable.